The Cambrian Period, spanning from 542 to 488 million years ago, saw the sudden emergence of complex multicellular organisms during the Cambrian explosion. All modern animal phyla, except bryozoans, had a representative during this period. The period is divided into three periods and ended with the Cambrian-Ordovician extinction event. The Cambrian Period is a major […]
The Cambrian Substratum Revolution saw the first excavators burrowing into the seabed, creating a new niche and leading to the evolution of burrowing organisms. This may have contributed to the Cambrian explosion. Digging provided food, anchoring, and protection from predators, leading to the decline of microbial mats. The Cambrian Substratum Revolution was a pivotal evolutionary […]
The Cambrian period was previously thought to be the first to contain multicellular life, but scientists have since discovered simple life in the Ediacaran period. The Cambrian period saw the emergence of complex life, including the forerunners of modern animal phyla. The period is known for the “Cambrian Explosion” of new organisms, including trilobites, echidnoderms, […]
The Cambrian explosion was a short period of rapid diversification among early multicellular life, resulting in the evolution of all 35 basic body designs. Scientists have proposed three categories of explanation for why it happened, including extrinsic events, intrinsic mechanisms, and natural ecologies. The Burgess Shale in the Canadian Rockies contains well-preserved fossils from this […]
The Cambrian era saw the sudden appearance of representatives of all modern animal phyla, except bryozoans. The period is marked by the emergence of shield-shaped arthropods called trilobites and early sponges. During the period, a variety of invertebrate animals and some early vertebrates evolved. About half of the Cambrian fauna became extinct during the Cambrian-Ordovician […]
